Interesting Karl Barth quote on church growth

"What objection could we really make if it should please God to carry His work onward and reach His goal, not through a further numerical increase but through a drastic numerical decrease of so-called Christendom? It seems to me the only question is this: How can we free ourselves from all quantitative thinking, all statistics, all calculations of observable consequences, all efforts to achieve a Christian world order, and then shape our witness into a witness to the sovereignty of God's mercy, by which alone we can live a witness to which the Holy Ghost will surely not refuse his confirmation?"

(Karl Barth - 1948)

I'm not so much of a regular here but I do like to visit here at times. I know there are good things here and meat to chew. I wish I knew more about Karl Barth and had more time to study him. I didn't know there was such a controversy about him of the type you mentioned here. I've read some criticism of him and I can't remember it exactly but I agreed with some of it. But he seems to have been on the right side and most people I know regard him as one of the great theologians. I don't think quotes like the one I posted by him do people a bit of harm to think on and consider.

Thank you,

:-D

I wish I knew more about Karl Barth and had more time to study him.

For a brief intro to the teaching of Karl Barth please see [url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/articles/index.php?view=article&aid=13933]Karl Barth[/url]

I looked into Karl Barth somewhat and now I understand better about some of the reservatons expressed here. It's just that one doesn't have to go very far before they will run across descriptions of Barth as being perhaps the best theologian of the last century and maybe since the Reformation. He obviously had a lot to say. I really wouldn't of known how to categorize neo-Orthodoxy before but now I think I may be able to do so. I don't understand it completely but it seems that is where Karl Barth falls. It seems he viewed the Bible as not God's word but a recorded record of God's revelation that only becomes God's word when you perceive it by revelation. Things like that you have to read over and over to see what is really being presented. Then there's the area of his views concerning real history versus over history etc. as far as the Biblical narrative is concerned. Among a lot of other things. It's good really to look into these type of things so as to know where one really stands. I don't understand it all but I have a better insight now and I appreciate the replies I received.

Thank you,

"Doc"